Trader Joe’s MAPLE STREUSEL BREAD

A package of Trader Joe's Maple Streusel Bread, featuring a red design with autumn leaves, labeled with a best by date of October 28, 2026.

TRADER JOE’S MAPLE STREUSEL BREAD – “A Soft Moist Loaf With A Rich Maple Flavor, Topped With A Crumbly Streusel”

LIMITED TIME, Seasonal, Autumn

<TIP: This Makes Great French Toast ! >

I came across the Maple Streusel Bread, which is a Trader Joe’s seasonal Fall item. Actually I could smell it when I got close to these, even through the bag. This has a wonderful, enticing maple aroma.

Even though I knew it’s not exactly health food, I thought I should try this and review it. For you guys. That’s my excuse, as I normally eat try to stay eating pretty healthy 😉

Packages of Trader Joe's Maple Streusel Bread on a store shelf with a price tag of $4.49, highlighting the product's features.

Sweetness I would say is like that of cinnamon buns, though here the aroma is that of maple. Rich maple flavors. The bread is a bit dense and has a crumbly streusel topping and icing, and swirls of stuff throughout the bread. Its a bit sticky when you handle it.

A slice of toasted bread with a golden-brown crust and a fluffy texture.

I tried it a number of ways. Plain, right out of the bag. A bit sweet but not bad. Next I put on a little butter. Yummy. Next I thought I should try toasting this. You will learn right away that this can get burned pretty easily with the sugar and stuff. So be careful making this, as sticky stuff melts as you heat it.

The slice of toast below is actually not burned, just toasted up to the perfect point where it was really golden brown and delicious with some salted butter spread all over it. Toasted it was already way better. So yummy. You could sprinkle on cinnamon too for that cinnamon sugar taste.

TIP: When toasting this, keep a close eye on it as it can go from perfect to burned quickly. Go slow (low heat). I toasted it on my cast iron grill pan. It will drip some. If making in a toaster oven, put foil underneath as it will drip and get sticky.

Two pieces of toasted, golden-brown bread with a crispy texture, resting on a cream-colored plate.

Next I saw on the web that people LOVE THIS FOR MAKING FRENCH TOAST. Yes. That sounds like a good idea.

I tried it as the bread for French Toast. Yup, it turned out terrific. Again, cook it slowly and carefully on fairly low heat. I cooked it in in my grill pan, in about a tablespoon of Kerrygold salted butter.

Two pieces of golden-brown French toast on a black skillet.

When its finished it looks wonderful and basically makes its own syrup from the maple and stuff. It almost doesn’t need any maple syrup but add if you want to really double down on the maple. I think could also be good with fresh berries, Greek yogurt or even a bit of good jam.

MAPLE STREUEL BREAD FRENCH TOAST: Egg/milk mixture. 1 egg plus a splash of milk will cover about 2 or 3 slices. Let it soak for some time to absorb the liquid, maybe 10-15 minutes. so it penetrates the whole slice. I cooked it in good (salted) butter. Cook till golden brown and delicious. Serve.

$4.99 (20 oz) About 13 slices in the loaf.

1 slice has 150 cals. And yes a pretty big 13 gram sugar (which is 26% of rec. daily amount)

Nutrition facts label for a food product, detailing servings, calories, and ingredients like enriched wheat flour, sugar, and palm oil.
  • Features real maple syrup, a brown sugar swirl, maple streusel topping, and sweet icing.
  • Nutrition: Contains 150 calories per 43-gram slice, with 4g of total fat and 13g of sugar.
  • Texture: Dense and rich loaf, often described as cake-like.
  • Popular Uses: Best enjoyed toasted with salted butter or used to make French Toast.
  • Availability: Offered for a limited time during the autumn

Perfect for cozy fall breakfasts and making irresistible French toast!

The only bread for French Toast? Well, I think the Sliced Brioche regular of pumpkin also make great French Toast.

“THIS IS THE ONLY BREAD I WILL USE FOR FRENCH TOAST” (link. Chowhound)

I would buy this again.

Trader Joe’s CHEDDAR & GRUYERE Melange Cheese

Sign displaying 'Flyer Item!' and a product label for 'Cheddar & Gruyere Melange' priced at $1.99 per pound with a suggestion to make a grilled cheese or add to a burger.
Trader Joe's Cheddar and Gruyere cheese package featuring nutrition facts, ingredients, and price label.

Fall Flyer 2026 Item

Cheddar and Gruyere together in one cheese!

It’s been on Trader Joe’s shelves for over a decade, about which they jokingly say: “(If you’ve ever wept over the loss of a favorite product, you’ll know this is a lifetime in Trader Joe’s years!) It’s a unique combination of Cheddar flavor and Gruyere creaminess; buttery & nutty, with a sweet, mild finish. This Cheese is crafted just for us by a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker and aged 90 days to achieve its distinctive taste and texture. Try it on a burger, in a grilled cheese sandwich, or cut into chunks on a cheese tray.”

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/cheddar-gruyere-melange-cheese-095552

This has become one of my favorite cheeses at Trader Joe’s. I now have to have this on hand always, as I love it so much. If you’ve seen this but never actually tried it, I recommend this very good cheese.

It’s a kind of unique all around tasty cheese that everyone likes. It tastes exactly like what you might imagine a melange of Gruyere and cheddar would taste like together. Nutty, buttery and a little cheddar sharpness. I love it as is just with an apple or other fruit. Delicious.

What about cooking with this? Even better. I find this is just super for say making grilled cheese sandwiches, omelets, cheese quesadillas... In other words, its a fantastic melting cheese, especially delicious if you can get it a wee bit brown and crusty.

Grilled cheese sandwich cut in half, with melted cheese visible between toasted bread, accompanied by a slice of cucumber.

Here’s the cheese used on TJ’s yummy PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH bread where I made a really interesting and delicious grilled cheese sandwich with the Melange and mustard on the sourdough.

Like everything else it has gone up, now $7.99 a pound. A hunk usually runs bout 5-6 bucks.

I would buy this again.

A slice of bread topped with pieces of white cheese, with another slice of bread partially visible in the background.

#cheeseboards

Trader Joe’s Sliced PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD, review

A package of Trader Joe's sliced pumpkin sourdough bread featuring an illustration of a pumpkin and a label indicating it's made with pumpkin puree and spices.
Sliced bread resting on a wooden cutting board, showing a light brown crust and airy interior.

Trader Joe’s Sliced PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD made with pumpkin purée & pumpkin spices

$4.99 (17.6 oz, 500 gr)

NEW ITEM (LIMITED TIME)

As I’ve mentioned a few times, actually I’m not one of those people who goes nuts every Fall when Trader Joe’s comes out with all the Pumpkin stuff. However on occasion I may see something that looks interesting and peaks my interest. Like this bread I saw in the New Items shelf while I was checking out:

Trader Joe’s SLICED PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH BREAD

After doing a little research I saw that some shoppers supposedly are raving about this bread and snapping it up. So I got one to try out. Here’s my honest review.

I liked this, in fact more than I expected to. I liked that the amount of spice in this is subtle. This bread is not overly flavored with “pumpkin spices”, there’s just a hint of spice blend (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg), almost background and what’s there matches well with the pumpkin flavor. This is actually made with pumpkin (puree) so you get a subtle taste of pumpkin. Pumpkin puree is the third ingredient listed (flour, water, pumpkin purée…) . The bread has a slight sweetness but just a hint-it tastes like bread, not dessert. Really well balanced. The slices are a perfect thickness. The bread has a little structure, not too soft, it has a nice crumb with some air holes. Just a bit of sour tang. As far as it being “real sourdough” well….I think of this as a “sourdough style” bread. I don’t think anyone is going to confuse this with a “real sourdough” but that’s OK for me. It lists “microbial enzymes”… not sourdough starter as a purist might argue. But its in the family.

As is untoasted, I thought it tasted fine, however my first thought was, I should toast this. It will be best toasted. My hunch was right. This is great for toasting and grilling. Doing that releases all the flavors and gets great texture.

First I just toasted up a slice and tried it simple – just spread with good butter. Simple but so delicious. Also excellent with butter and raspberry jam. Experiment and find your favorite jam combo. Trader Joe’s APPLE PIE JAM perhaps? This bread toasted with butter and their PUMPKIN BUTTER?

What about using this bread to make FRENCH TOAST? Try that with this bread over the holidays?

How about a Grilled Cheese Sandwich?

It may sound a bit odd, but try this for a grilled cheese sandwich.

I saw that suggestion somewhere on the internet about using this pumpkin sourdough with TJ’s Cheddar Gruyere melange cheese. So I made it. They were not wrong. This combo was So Good. We had these for dinner! We really liked the way these grilled cheese sandwiches came out (if you need a “recipe” see below)

Close-up of a grilled cheese sandwich, cut in half, revealing melted cheese between two slices of toasted bread, with a slice of cucumber on the side.
A slice of whole grain bread with large pieces of white cheese on top, partially covered by another slice of bread.

Cheese: I saw the recommended one as Trader Joe’s GRUYERE CHEDDAR MELANGE. I used that and it was a perfect match.

Here’s how I made my grilled cheese sandwich with the PUMPKIN SOURDOUGH.

  • Sliced up Gruyere Cheddar Melange cheese. Spread the bread slices with a thin layer of your favorite mustard. I used a mix of Dijon and Regular mustard. I like mustard so I did it on both insides.
  • Add a decent amount of cheese and carefully close up the sandwich. Grill in a heavy pan with a bit of butter on low-medium. Let it grill up for about 3-4 minutes per side or until it looks nice and Golden Brown and Delicious (check occasionally after 2 3 minutes, it can get dark easily) Flip the over carefully, press gently with a spatula until the second side is done and the cheese is all melty and delicious. Serve with pickles.

I’m sure it would also be good with some kind of cheddar but I have to say, that Gruyere melange perfect, subtle and nutty and matched perfectly with the pumpkin sourdough.

Nutrition facts label for a sliced pumpkin bread from Trader Joe's, including ingredients, serving size, calorie content, and nutritional information.

My only complaint with this bread is they don’t give you enough for five bucks! Its kind of small, half loaf of bread which is just over a pound. Our loaf went pretty fast, in fact we were fighting over who would eat the last piece of toast.

1 slice is 110 calories.

Product of Canada

CONTAINS SESAME SEEDS

LIMITED TIME – you can always buy some and freeze it

Trader Joe’s Thin Sliced ORGANIC 21 GRAINS & SEEDS BREAD

Display of organic 21 grains and seeds bread packages in a store, with a price tag of $4.49 and a sign describing its texture as hearty and nutty.
Trader Joe's Organic 21 Grains & Seeds Bread, Thin Sliced, 20.4 oz package, featuring nutritional information including 70 calories per slice, good source of fiber, and 13g of whole grains per serving.
Top view of a slice of brown bread with seeds and a textured surface.
A slice of toasted whole grain bread with a golden-brown crust placed on a black skillet.

Certified Organic, 13g Whole Grains per serving, 70 cal slice

This is a NEW ITEM (AUG 2026)

21 Grains and Seeds Thin Sliced Organic Bread, with whole wheat and “organic seed and nut mix” containing organic sunflower, flax, pumpkin, sesame, black sesame, poppy, millet, rolled oats, quinoa, rye, spelt, yellow corn, amaranth, buckwheat, khorasan, purple corn, brown rice, sorghum, vital gluten, seeds and flours and other goodies like molasses.

A very nice slightly nutty tasting light brown whole wheat bread. Sliced thinly. One slice is 70 calories.

Made great toast with this as well as grilled cheese sandwiches. I would buy this again.

$4.49 for a 20 oz loaf

“Trader Joe’s Organic Thin Sliced 21 Grains & Seeds Bread is multi-faceted. Each Grain and Seed contributes its own characteristic taste and texture to produce a brown bread that is moist and slightly sweet, with a satisfyingly robust flavor. It’s excellent for sandwiching Organic Reduced Sugar Strawberry Preserves and Creamy Salted Peanut Butter. It’s also fantastic when two pieces are toasted in a pan with a generous number of Cheddar & Gruyere Mélange slices all melty in-between. And since our supplier has Sliced each loaf nice and Thin, it’s ideal for smaller-portioned sandwiches and toasts: each Slice comes in at about 70 calories.”

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/organic-21-grains-and-seeds-bread-thin-sliced-084820

PRODUCT OF CANADA

Nutrition facts label for a food product, detailing ingredients, serving size, calories, and nutrient information.

Ingredients

ORGANIC WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, ORGANIC WHOLE GRAIN AND SEED MIX (ORGANIC SUNFLOWER SEEDS, ORGANIC WHOLE FLAX SEEDS, ORGANIC PUMPKIN SEEDS, ORGANIC SESAME SEEDS, ORGANIC GROUND FLAX SEEDS, ORGANIC BLACK SESAME SEEDS, ORGANIC POPPY SEEDS, ORGANIC MILLET, ORGANIC ROLLED OATS, ORGANIC QUINOA, ORGANIC ROLLED BARLEY, ORGANIC ROLLED RYE, ORGANIC ROLLED WHOLE WHEAT, ORGANIC ROLLED SPELT, ORGANIC TRITICALE FLOUR, ORGANIC AMARANTH FLOUR, ORGANIC YELLOW CORN FLOUR, ORGANIC KHORASAN WHEAT FLOUR, ORGANIC BUCKWHEAT FLOUR, ORGANIC PURPLE CORN FLOUR, ORGANIC BROWN RICE FLOUR, ORGANIC SORGHUM FLOUR), ORGANIC VITAL WHEAT GLUTEN, ORGANIC OAT FIBER, ORGANIC CRACKED WHOLE WHEAT, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF YEAST, ORGANIC CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR (TO PRESERVE), SEA SALT, MICROBIAL ENZYMES, ORGANIC MOLASSES, WHEAT FIBER, ORGANIC VINEGAR, ORGANIC ACEROLA CHERRY POWDER, ORGANIC UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (ORGANIC WHEAT FLOUR, ASCORBIC ACID [DOUGH CONDITIONER], NIACIN, IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID).

  • CONTAINS SESAME, WHEAT.

Trader Joe’s SHEEPISH PESTO CHEESE

LIMITED TIME (AUGUST)

Trader Joe’s SHEEPISH PESTO

A Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk and flavored with basil pesto. It’s crafted for Trader Joe’s by a Spanish cheese maker using a sheep milk cheese which is brined and then aged for at least six months. Then they inject the cheese with an herby pesto, thoughout the cheese which you see as streaks of green all over.

“Available in our stores only for the month of August, The Sheepish Pesto makes an eye-catching and appetizing addition to any cheese board, charcuterie platter, or hors d’oeuvres table. It can be enjoyed cubed and skewered with tooth picks, sliced into triangles and savored with wine, or shaved thin and sprinkled over a leafy green salad. And for an easy entrée, try shredding it fine, melting it with butter, diced onions, and garlic, and serving over your favorite pasta with cracked pepper for a one-of-a-kind “Cacio e Pesto.”

It’s pretty bold. At first I thought the pesto had a slight tendency to overpower the cheese itself but this is an interesting cheese and quite tasty, and grew on me as I kept eating it. I can easily see this as something cheeseboard aficionados would like to add to a nice #cheeseboard as this is a bit unusual, and very tasty with lots of herby umami notes. Matches well with grapes and other fruits. Good melted too. They suggest using it for a Cacio and Pepe pasta.

LIMITED TIME (AUGUST) If it sounds like something you want to try, better hurry which it lasts

SHEEPISH PESTO $6.49 (5.3 oz)

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/the-sheepish-pesto-084210

(Label says don’t eat the rind. I ate some before seeing that, but it’s pretty thin so not a biggy)

PRODUCT OF SPAIN

Trader Joe’s budget friendly Family Style MEAT LASAGNA (frozen)

Trader Joe’s: “Tender sheets of pasta layered with creamy ricotta, tangy tomato sauce, and plenty of ground beef and pork seasoned with onion and garlic (the words “ultimate comfort food” would not be hyperbole here). Topped with an additional trifecta of cheeses—mozzarella, Romano, and Parmesan—the Lasagna is made fresh, then frozen and shipped to our stores, ready to report for ‘What’s for dinner?’ duty.”

(after baking in the oven)

RAVE

Just great to have in the freezer.

How can anyone not love lasagna? Soft slightly chewy, flat, wide sheets of yellow noodles, in three or four layers with a delicious tomato sauce and cheese. THREE kinds of cheese. All the layers topped with a cheesy bechamel sauce after baking that gets nice and golden brown and delicious. That is sounds like my Ultimate Comfort Food.

Years ago, I actually used to make it every now and then when I had company, as it was always a hit and could feed a crowd. But it is a lot of work.

If you are not going to make it yourself this Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna is an easy way to satisfy that craving. I had seen reviews of this online that people considered Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna quite good. I wanted to finally try it.

We got one to do a taste test for a little get together with a neighbor who wanted an “easy meal”. This TJ lasagna as our Main. Here’s my honest review. It’s true. Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna is not only pretty good, its surprisingly good. When we tasted it our reaction was that this was way better than we expected. This lived up to it’s well deserved reputation.

Trader Joe’s FAMILY STYLE MEAT LASAGNA is very tasty, very satisfying and just really yummy. TJ’s frozen lasagna actually tasted like something you could be served out at a family restaurant. All three of us tasters kept remarking at how (pleasantly) surprised at just how good this was for something made commercially. The ingredients even lists fennel seed. Now that’s Italian. The pasta, meaty sauce and cheese combined perfectly and was well seasoned with herbs and spices. The rich meaty sauce includes both beef and pork for plenty of umami. The noodles still had texture, they weren’t mushy. I liked the ratio of noodles to the layered cheese and stuff inside. For me, the best part were those dark, baked corner edges. I was sure we over-baked it but it was actually perfect. Just really nice and browned at the corners where the top of the lasagna baked up nice and chewy with browned cheesy goodness. The corner pieces were my favorite part.

All in all, this is quite a decent tasty entree , which was satisfyingly good and frankly a good deal for the price ($7.49). I think that would not buy you one portion of lasagna, anywhere, right? Let alone 4 (or 3!)

If you have this in your freezer, this can make a really easy dinner, which everyone will probably like and come in for a very affordable price…$2-3 a portion? Sweet deal for a family.

PORTION SIZE: This lasagna is 24 oz (2 lbs). While the box says “4 servings” (which would be about 8 ounces each) realistically that might be a tiny bit on the low side as far as feeding 4 adults. Maybe 4 adults if this is served with 2 sides, or with a salad and some bread.

When we ate it, there were three of us, myself, my wife and our neighbor. We served and ate about 3/4 of the lasagna to start with. But frankly this was so tasty, when we finished what we had, we all said we wanted a little more! So us three adults ending up finishing the whole thing easily, even with a salad and a side dish. So just FYI, realistically maybe think 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 kids, especially if you want another bite or two. Kids as well I think will love this too, of course.

COOKING METHOD: Sure the box say you can nuke this but I say: “Fugedabouit! This will taste best baked, period. The box it even says baking is the “preferred method”. Browning greatly adds to the overall taste and get those nice chewy bits, which is done by baking semi-covered with the film which you later remove and bake a bit more at the end (the film is oven safe of course). Microwaving will not give the needed browning. So just plan on baking this, please.

HOW TO BAKE Trader Joe’s frozen Lasagna – “Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Put the lasagna on a baking sheet. Lift up the two opposite corners of the plastic film on the top slightly so it can vent (important). Bake for 65 mins, then remove and carefully remove the film so it can brown. Put it back for about 5 minutes to finish browning. For reference, you can check my picture. It looks over baked but it was perfect IMO, with the corners being my favorite part of it. If you want less browning thats your call.

Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

So yes it will take a little over and hour to cook this from frozen, baking in the oven. Perhaps, if this is defrosted maybe it would cut down on baking time to 30-45 minutes? Might be worth trying. Leave it out on the counter for a few hours to defrost….

ADDITIONS? Of course if you want to, you add things just before serving this to ramp up the homemade angle. You could grate on some fresh Parmesan or Pecorino, add fresh basil if you have it, and add a drizzle of EVOO. If you want extra sauce with it you could even open a jar of your favorite one and serve a little on the side for mopping up with some good toasty bread.

A great Trader Joe’s product, and quite the value.

Trader Joe’s FAMILY STYLE MEAT LASAGNA $7.49 (24 oz)

I would buy this again.

(Tip: I saw they also sell a non-frozen lasagna in the refrigerated case; it’s 50 cents more, $7.99. I have not tried that yet)

PRODUCT OF CANADA – I hope the price is not affected by tariffs!!!

Trader Joe’s MINI UNCURED PEPPERONI STICKS (double snack pack)

Little mini pepperoni sticks divied into 2 cute “snack packs” of about one ounce each.

I saw these on the check out line at Trader Joe’s yesterday. I could not resist this cute package so picked one up and honestly, when I got out of the store, I opened up the package and took a bite of one of these sticks. I have to say these are really tasty and brought me back to when I was a kid and bought “Slim Jims”. Probably these have way better ingredients.

They are neither hard nor soft, just the perfect texture and taste. These are a snack-sized helping of slim, perfectly chewy Pepperoni Sticks made from uncured pork. (No nitrates or nitrites are added, except those naturally occurring in sea salt and cultured Swiss chard powder). Very savory and tasty, pork-y goodness. Even could go on a #cheeseboard.

My package went pretty fast. Health food? No, of course not, these are a occasional treat but the ingredients are not mysterious and they are not very fatty. Sodium is pretty high! A whole package (both sides) contains 1050 mg sodium, or about 56% the allotted recommended daily sodium level .

However if one ate half a package at a time, as an occasional snack/treat not too terrible. Just so you keep an eye on that. Me I can eat about 4, 5 sticks and be satisfied.

1 package has 210 calories, 13 g protein….

$1.99 package (2 oz)

Trader Joe’s ORGANIC UNCURED BLACK FOREST HAM


“Smoky, savory and lightly sweet with hints of maple”

I’ve already reviewed a very good sliced ham Trader Joe’s sells, which is their ROSEMARY HAM

This one is also quite good. It’s their uncured organic Black Forest ham, which has a lovely smokey flavor.

Uncured means it uses no added nitrates/nitrites. It’s cured with natural seasonings such as organic celery seed, organic vinegar and organic honey. “All vegetarian feed, no added hormones, antibiotics”

Low in fat, 2 slices have 60 calories with 11 gr of Protein.

Wood smoked with hickory, which gives this a wonderful flavor, it’s great for sandwiches and may other things. It made a great omelet, where the smokey flavor came through beautifully.

It would work great on a #cheeseboard. I would love it with some smoked Gouda on a cracker for double smokiness.

I would buy this again.

$5.49 (6 oz)

“TJ’s Uncured Black Forest Ham is deliciously lean, packed with protein, and notably free of added nitrates and nitrites—in other words, the ideal choice for creating simple, delicious school lunches, work lunches, or even just an anytime snack. It has an artful smokiness and tender texture, adds a remarkable depth of flavor, especially when stacked up with slices of Pepper Jack cheese or add-ons like sweet & spicy pickle chips.”

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/uncured-black-forest-ham-086863

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/recipes/everything-ham-cheese-roll-ups (here’s a TJ recipe using this)

Trader Joe’s DETROIT STYLE UNCURED PEPPERONI PIZZA, review

(hope you find it. this pizza’s very popular & sells out fast!)

TRADER JOE SAYS: “With its rectangular shape, deep, crispy-edged crust, and golden underside, Detroit-style pizza has been wowing pizza fans and converting thin crust devotees since 1946. Believe it or not, the original Detroit-style pie was said to have been baked in steel pans originally used for auto parts!Trader Joe’s Detroit Style Uncured Pepperoni Pizza is decidedly not assembled in auto part pans, it is packaged in a rectangular, oven-friendly pan that’s sprinkled with cheese prior to pizza assembly. This crucial step delivers the golden, crispy-on-the-underside and pillowy-on-the-inside crust that’s characteristic of a Detroit Style pie.“

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/detroit-style-uncured-pepperoni-pizza-083764

NEW ITEM

-If you are looking to try Trader Joe’s (new) DETROIT STYLE UNCURED PEPPERONI PIZZA all I can say is I wish you LUCK finding it in the freezer case. If you don’t see it, ask the front desk, as to when it comes in.

I was looking for it over days and days and most of the time, all I found was an empty shelf.

Since it was introduced, it seemed to Sell Out, fast. Naturally this is due to social media, as at the moment this has been a hot item. I guess each store gets a certain amount per day and whatever they get, sells out pretty fast.

When items get very hot, I always wonder – Is it really that good or is it just Hype due to social media?

When I finally saw it in the freezer, I didn’t hesitate, and grabbed one to try.

Here’s my honest review.

First I should say as a native “Noo Yawkah” and a lover of our classic style of pizza, I’ve never been a big fan of thick crust pizza. The crust on this pizza is pretty thick as you can see in the pix.

But GUESS WHAT? Tasting this Trader Joe’s pizza all I can say is I see why this is So Popular. I never had a Detroit pizza in my life so I can’t judge how accurate Trader Joe’s version is to a real one, but this is very good.

My wife and I both enjoyed eating it, despite the amount of crust. We found this to be really yummy. It really hit the spot when we were in the mood for pizza for a dinner. And yes, I made dinner a little healthier by making a veggie side dish!

Yes it is pretty dough-y for me, but overall, it really is quite tasty. All the elements were good. A nice thick tomato sauce, very flavorful and tomato-y, which matched perfectly with the nice amount of cheese.

The star of the show is of course that pepperoni.

The uncured pepperoni on this pizza is EXCELLENT. Not greasy, there was no pool of grease you see usually see on pepperoni pizza. Nor did it shrink up into cups like most pepperoni does.

How Spicy? I thought this uncured pepperoni was pretty mild.

What I’ve learned with this pizza is how to make this as good as possible. The main point being, make sure to get it well baked. See the last pic for how it looked when we ate it (i made some veggies for a side) It does come in a paper pan which you can put right in the oven for convenience.

TIPS: The package says bake in the included oven safe paper pan for 23-25 minutes at 425F. Rearrange the pepperoni evenly.

As you see, I made our meal a bit healthier adding some veggies to our dinner… It was all SO YUMMY!

Notes:

I thought a metal pan might give it a better bake than the paper one it comes in (seeing as a real one is baked in a steel pan, right?) So I took it out of their pan and put the pizza on a small sheet pan. At the very least, even if you use their pan, put that on top of a sheet pan or cookie sheet. Anyway your call on that. I should try both methods.

Be sure to let your oven get nice and pre-heated, give it a least 10-15 minutes after it hits temp before you put in the pizza.

Of course all ovens vary widely. In ours, it needed more than their listed time (23-25) at 425 to get really well baked, which is what I think you want with this pizza. It should look like the picture on the box. Deep deep brown cheese. After the recommended time, I tried it and decided the crust wasn’t nearly baked enough. I put it back in the oven. In our oven it needed another 5 minutes to get nice and deep brown all over. I also added a squirt of olive oil on the bottom of the pan to give the crust some help as it was a bit dry. Olive oil will help brown and crisp the bottom and improve it quite a bit. Figure perhaps 30 minutes baking time? Check it often towards the 22-23 minute mark and adjust as needed.

I think I could have even brushed on some oil on the edges/sides. It looks a little dry as you can see; easily fixed with some more evoo. I will do that next time.

Personalize with your own Seasonings: I added my normal seasonings I like; slivered garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper…. Feel free to do what you like to your pizza. I hit this after it came out with some fresh grated pecorino. I had fresh basil which of course was terrific on it. Do your own thing and enjoy! But even as is with nothing, this is quite good.

How big is it? 24 oz. (1 1/2 lbs)

Now my wife thought we should eat the whole thing. We could have, but I was the “voice of reason” and said no, let’s eat 2/3 of it and leave a third for leftovers. But the wife fought me bitterly and snuck in a few bites! Yes, she really like this.

Not a bad deal at $8 bucks for a pizza that can feed 2 or maybe 3 people. $7.99 makes it one of TJ’s more expensive pizzas due to the quality ingredients of that pepperoni. But the quality is there. So worth it.

People say this is one of the best pizzas Trader Joe’s sells.

Just know if you ate the whole thing all by yourself, about 1750 calories. Personally I wouldn’t do that, but that’s your call.

Trader Joe’s frozen UNCURED PEPPERONI DETROIT PIZZA $7.99 (24 oz)

I would buy this again.

(TIP: one reader suggests using the included pan but putting a sheet pan under that. They said it did get very well browned up on in the included pan)

Trader Joe’s OLIVE TAPENADE HUMMUS

TRADER JOE ‘S says: “In the center of each tub lies a just-right amount of briny Olive Tapenade made with black olives, manzanilla olives, capers, and olive oil. Not to be out shined by its piquant partner, the Hummus base is special in its own right. With twice the tahini of traditional hummus, it’s especially smooth and nutty with complementary sweet and savory flavors.”

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/olive-tapenade-hummus-079901

I wanted a big tub of hummus when I went to Trader Joes but unfortunately they didn’t have the large one I usually go for, the 16 oz MEDITERRANEAN STYLE HUMMUS.

This OLIVE TAPENADE HUMMUS was the next biggest tub at 10 oz.

It looked like it was worth trying as I happen to LOVE any and all kinds of olives, however normally I wouldn’t think of mixing olive tapenade into my hummus. Here the tapenade is just a bit on top of the hummus as an Add On ingredient.

My first bite reaction was “yeah like I thought would happen, the olive tapenade kind of overpowers the hummus”. However as I kept tasting it, I had to admit the combined taste of hummus with just a bit of olive grew on me, more and more with each bite. I was careful to keep the tapanade as is, on top, separate, and not mixed in with everything.

That way scooping a bit onto the pita, I could control the balance, just a little bit of tapenade with mostly hummus. Keep that bit of tapenade as-is, just on top, so you can have mostly hummus with just a little bit of tapenade.

Certainly I might put out a dish of olives with a dish of hummus anyway. The tapenade does kind of work. Don’t mix it all together. Olive is a strong flavors, hummus more subtle but the combo was not at all bad eaten with some pita and “controlled” with careful selection.

I did add fresh lemon juice and some good EVOO and those certainly elevated everything. I might not buy this again but think this is worth trying if you are a big fan of olives, like I am. This even has a bit of capers in it.

$3.49 (10 oz)

RELATED: GOOD PITA! https://traderjoesrants.com/2025/08/19/new-trader-joes-baladi-egyptian-sourdough-pocket-bread-pita/

(note: read some recent Comments)

Previous Older Entries